Turtle Power

TMNT

From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" played a dominate role in popular culture and in the imagination of children. Born in comic books, the four turtle brothers - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael - were reinvented on television (an animated show which ran for nine seasons), on the big screen (three live-action films) and in video games.

Then, around 1996, when the television show was cancelled, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" began to lose its relevance. It survived, in one form or another, for seven more years until 2003, when FOX revived the franchise as a Saturday morning cartoon show. Four years after that, the fourth Ninja Turtles film, simply titled "TMNT," arrived in theaters.

Unlike the previous three film installments, which used live actors, "TMNT" uses only computer-generated imagery (CGI). Its focus on action over comedy is also a departure from the earlier films and especially the orginal animated series. Grittier, darker and packed with action, it belongs more to the comic books where the Ninja Turtles first appeared.

The story of "TMNT" is surprisingly complex, considering its main audience is young children. We learn, in opening narration by Laurence Fishburne, that 3,000 years ago a great warlord found the key to immortality in an inter-dimensional portal. His unlimited life came at a cost, however, as his three brothers and sister were turned to lifeless statues, and thirteen fearsome monsters escaped the portal from a far away world.

The movie then flashes forward to the present. Leonardo (James Arnold Taylor), the oldest of the turtles, is alone in the jungles of Central America, training himself to become a better leader. Back in New York City, his brothers wait impatiently for his return, having settled into mundane jobs. Then come strange sightings of walking statues and rampaging monsters.

"TMNT" is fast-paced, action-packed and faithful to its comic book origins. The animation, stylized CGI, is artfully rendered. The story, at once fantastical and poignant, touches on themes such as the loneliness of immortality, the competition among brothers and the danger of pride. Although the quiet moments in "TMNT" are brief, they are undeniably heartfelt.

The future of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," for now, seems to be the current FOX show and the comic books, which include two ongoing publications "TMNT" and "Tales of the TMNT."

Although the extreme popularity the franchise once enjoyed might be lost and gone forever, "TMNT" is a pleasant reminder of the irresistible appeal of these characters. Remember: many people, when they hear Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, think of Ninja Turtles and not Renaissance painters.

*** out of ****